Dibyendu Bhattacharya is an actor with a difference. He is portly, dark and far from handsome, but has eloquent eyes. Although he has no roots in a film family, he can still be identified the minute he appears on screen, big and small, features and OTT series – by his unconventional looks and more so, because of his magnificent performances. His performance in The Railway Men has recently won him accolades. Dibyendu has just been conferred with the Best Iconic Film Actor of the Year award by GIEBA (Global Iconic Entertainment and Business Awards).
He talks to Shoma A. Chatterji about his career, both on OTT and in feature films.
What made you choose acting?
I never dreamt of becoming an actor. But I have it in my nature from the time I was a young boy, to hone my skills in whatever others considered I was good at. When my friends pointed out to me that I am good at cricket, I began to hone my skills in cricket. Someone said I was very good at drawing and painting and so, I committed myself wholly to become good at painting. My father’s older brother who staged jatra performances, would often pick me to play small boy’s roles in his plays. This pushed me to acting. I was good at whatever I worked at. But I was also often beaten up for pranks and mischief. I worked with several theatre groups at the same time and I even remained in the wings to learn the job, bringing tea, doing proxy for actors who did not turn up and this is the way I tried to hone my skills.
Since you are a middle-class, urban Bengali what was the family’s response to your unconventional choice?
My middle-class, urban Bengali family was steeped in culture – music, song, theatre, fine arts and so on. So, I grew up in a rich, cultural environment. I later joined group theatre and got to learn that I really loved acting and for one play in which I did the main role, I won the Best Actor Award from IPTA in 1993.I had no clue about wanting to be an actor. Everything in my life happens organically.
Tell us a little about your theatrical experience in Kolkata before joining films.
From 1988 to 1994, I was involved in theatre and consider these years as a golden period of my life. A time came when I was acting every single day and my work was truly appreciated. My role in Ektu Shorey Boshun directed by Kamaleshwar Mukherjee fetched me the Best Actor Award from IPTA. In college, instead of attending classes, I took over the cultural wing and began producing plays for the college and created a mass song group to perform mass singing performances. I made a name for myself. We lived in a three-floor ancestral house in Behala, Kolkata. I had the entire terrace to myself and one large room. This formed a wonderful support system. I stepped into a world none of my family was involved in, which is acting. I was trying to carve a niche in acting and decided to join the National School of Drama.
Was it tough getting into NSD?
I had no idea of how to get into the NSD. I was not a graduate when I had decided. They gave me a piece from Rustom Sohrab for the zonal interview and asked me to prepare this piece on the lines of Parsee Theatre with dialogues. I was helped by Madhu Kapoor, a professor at Bibekananda College who trained me in delivering my lines in Hindi and corrected the diction as I had little knowledge of Hindi diction. I passed the test followed by a workshop at NSD for a week. I cleared this too. For the final list from the open category, only eight seats were left. I was surprised when I got selected. I felt embarrassed that I was chosen from lakhs of applicants and the only one on a National Scholarship. My father had to pay 35,000 as a bond if I gave up in the middle. But I did not give up.
What was your experience like in NSD?
NSD was a fantastic experience, almost like a long-term vacation. We lived in a pollution-free, lush green environment. The NSD Identity card as a National scholar had its merits. It gave us access to watch plays of other groups. Being a national scholar opened the doors to theatre festivals, international film festivals, museums, art galleries, British and American Libraries, Max Mueller Bhavan, the Alliance Francaise. It was a global experience. This expanded my vision not only about theatre and films but also of life per se. I played Edgar in King Lear, I acted as Chanakya in Mudrarakshasa and many others. I would also visit the NSD Repertory Company where I played many lead roles and this led to my first role in films in 2004. Prof John Russell Brown (Polish Theatre), Mohan Maharishi, Ramgopal Verma, Pankaj Kapoor were some of our eminent teachers. There were 250 teachers for 60 students.
What role did you get in your first break?
My first break in films was in Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding, a miniscule role but an important one. Then I did a small role in a Shekhar Kapoor film which was banned and then came Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday. The journey had begun for me. Dev D, OTT, Undekhi, Criminal Justice, The Railway Men followed, where I have been able to connect with the characters I played.
Name three people from theatre and/or cinema you would call your mentors.
Utpalendu Chakraborty was a brilliant actor-director of theatre and he introduced me to New Theatre Group. He was my first mentor. Robin Das of NSD was another mentor and the third was Professor Mohan Maharishi.
How difficult was it to break into Bollywood?
First I tried to see what was happening in Kolkata but things had changed and the scenario there was pegged to certain fixed ideas about what a Bollywood actor had to be. There was a consciousness about skin colour, looks, body shape and so on. I felt Mumbai would suit me fine as I was used to the scenario in Mumbai. I decided to pack my bags and go off to Delhi but right at that time, I got the call for Monsoon Wedding.
How do you look back on your growth in cinema?
I never think about my films as I, ME AND MYSELF. It is a journey. I go into retrospection. I try not to do certain things in a given role and also, how to make it different from what I have done before. For me it is a quest so I have never given Bollywood special status.
What is the difference between acting in theatre and acting in cinema?
We have live communication in theatre because the live audience needs to respond to your work whereas in films, the camera is the eye and not the audience. But if you have already worked on stage, it is easier to get into the language of cinema and to know exactly how to enact in front of the camera.
After all these years, how would you define the term “acting”?
Acting is transforming into a different character inside and outside. If you are doing Ramayan, you are Ram, you are Ravan, it is YOU who is transforming again and again to another character. Acting is cerebral and also full of heart. The craft involves every field of creativity. Basically, your work is to research, do intensive homework and then try and internalise the character you are playing.
Mention five of your favourite roles in Bollywood and say why.
I do not have any specific roles so to say. I may mention a short film on a Satyajit Ray short story directed by Srijit Mukherjee in which I played a Peer baba which became famous. Undekhi, Dhan Dhanadhan Goal, Black Friday, Dev D, BA Pass, Main Monica and every single one is very important to me. The smaller the role, the more challenging it is.
What would be your dream role? And which director would you like to work for the role?
I desire to do romantic roles with every director and also in title characters from Shakespeare, Christopher Nolan. I might even bag an Oscar one day. Who knows?
Shoma A. Chatterji is a freelance journalist, film scholar and author. She has authored 17 published titles and won the National Award for Best Writing on Cinema, twice. She won the UNFPA-Laadli Media Award, 2010 for ‘commitment to addressing and analysing gender issues’ among many awards.